Glacier National Park
Updated: Mar 21
Glacier National Park is in Montana's Rocky Mountains and is a wilderness area of peaks and valleys. It goes up to the Canadian border and in Canada, it is called Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada and together they are known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
The drive to Glacier was a 2-day trip so we spent the night in Spokane Washington at the home of some friends. We had a nice afternoon, dinner, and evening with them.
The next afternoon we arrived in West Glacier, Montana, and checked into the West Glacier RV Park. It is on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. We stayed here for 4 nights in a full hookup site. It is a very nice park with a lot of room between sites and only 1 mile from the West Entrance to Glacier National Park.
The park is beautiful with gorgeous lakes, streams, and majestic mountain views everywhere you look. We drove The Going to the Sun Road twice. After driving this road I can see why some people opt for The Red Bus tours to explore the park.
The drive is very beautiful and if you are a passenger you can enjoy the view but if you are driving the road demands all of your attention. We went up to the Logan Pass Visitors Center to do the Hidden Lake hike. It is a popular area so get there early to find parking. We were here early and even though it was August there was ice on the boardwalk portions of the trail on the way up.
We were looking forward to going to Hidden lake but the park rangers stopped us at the Hidden Lake Overlook and wouldn’t let us go down to the lake due to bear activity on the trail. We stayed at the overlook for a while and enjoyed the view. Since we got there early we encountered more people on the way down than we did on the way up. This was one of the highlights of the Park for us.
To see the photographic equipment I use for landscape photos click here
Our 2nd drive over the Going to the Sun Road was all the way through the park and then heading north on Hwy 89 on our way to Canada. We wanted to experience both sides of this great National Park.
This was before Covid so entry into Canada was quick with just a passport and ID needed. Post-Covid things have changed as we found out on a later trip so if you are headed to Canada now do some research online before heading out. From our campsite in West Glacier to The Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada, it was 165 miles.
This Canadian Park is beautiful and Waterton Lake and the surrounding areas are just gorgeous. The hotel had a gift shop and restaurant and the point of land that it is on had the most magnificent views of the area. We are glad we took the time to visit. On the way back we took the Hwy. around Glacier and bypassed the Going to the Sun Road. The next morning spent some time exploring from Red Rock Point down through the Haystack Creek area and Lake McDonald. There were a lot of pools in the stream and some cascading rapids.
Lorna’s Tips and Lessons
One of the scariest hikes I’ve done was here. The hike to Hidden Lake wasn’t all that difficult itself, however, it was covered with ice. It was one of the slowest hikes I’ve ever done. I was sure I was going to fall, break something, and have to be carried out. I now keep a pair of shoe spikes in my backpack.
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